It’s been a monumental year in the life of Hallmark star Ben Rosenbaum, who’s stepped into two major new roles in 2025. First, he became a husband in June, marrying his real-life leading lady and “When Calls the Heart” co-star Erin Krakow, to the delight of Hearties everywhere. Second, Rosenbaum filmed his first movie as a Hallmark leading man, “The Christmas Cup” — also to the delight of Hearties everywhere.
Chatting with EntertainmentNow ahead of his film’s November 30th premiere, Rosenbaum beamed about both experiences, calling his wedding “a great day in my life” and his starring role an opportunity he feels “super lucky” for.
Ben Rosenbaum is ‘Feeling the Love’ From Fans & His Wife
HallmarkIn “The Christmas Cup,” Rosenbaum stars opposite longtime Hallmark star Rhiannon Fish, who plays Staff Sergeant Kelly Brandt, a Marine sidelined at home by a knee injury. As she bides her time by leading her hometown team in the annual Christmas Cup, she receives help — and a new perspective on life — from Rosenbaum’s character, Fire Captain Quinn Stokley.
Rosenbaum, who has played Mike Hickam on WCTH since the show began in 2014, first revealed in September that he’d be leading his first Hallmark Christmas movie. The excitement from WCTH fans since then has not gone unnoticed, Rosenbaum told EntertainmentNow.
“Oh my goodness, yes, I am feeling the love,” he said. “And it feels great. It’s really nice. For years, it feels like now, there have been fans of ‘When Calls the Heart’ who have taken a particular shine to my
character, Hickam. I feel them lifting me up. They’ve been asking for this for years and I’m really excited to be able to deliver this movie for them.”
But despite all the love coming from fans, Rosenbaum sweetly acknowledged, “There’s no bigger cheerleader for me than my wife.”
Ben Rosenbaum Says He’s Been a Fan of Erin Krakow’s Since They First Worked Together in 2009
Just as Krakow is Rosenbaum’s biggest fan, he told EntertainmentNow he was smitten with Krakow’s gifts as an actress from the first time they worked together in 2009.
“Honestly, when Erin and I first met, I actually saw her working the first time we met, and really just developed a crush on her talent,” Rosenbaum said. “She’s just so good on stage and on screen.”
The couple first connected at the renowned Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, where Rosenbaum was born and raised. Krakow was cast as Cecily in “The Importance of Being Earnest” and he was an understudy for the characters of Algernon and Jack.
The two became friends during the production, Rosenbaum said, “and then shortly thereafter, after production ended and she went back to New York, I was doing a national tour that started and ended in New York. So we had more opportunities to connect, and a romance developed from there.”
Could a Ben Rosenbaum & Erin Krakow Movie Be in Hearties’ Future?
Krakow, who stars as Elizabeth Thornton on WCTH, has also starred in her fair share of Hallmark movies, including 2025’s highly anticipated holiday flick “Christmas Above the Clouds” opposite Tyler Hynes.
Rosenbaum laughed at the idea of competing with his wife in the Hallmark ratings now that he, too, is leading a Christmas movie.
“I’d rather stay away from any competition with her,” he chuckled. “In that regard, I’ll very gladly take a little step back from that competition and hand her her flowers!”
As for whether the two might collaborate on a future movie, Rosenbaum told EntertainmentNow, “I think that would be really fun.”
“The Christmas Cup” premieres on November 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern time and the 13th season of “When Calls The Heart” premieres on January 4, 2026.
I love them both in WCTH, an I was so happy to see they got married in real life. Can’t wait for the new season to start.